BULLY. COWARD. VICTIM. THE STORY OF ROY COHN

Sky Documentaries/NOW TV, 9.00pm

Ivy Meeropol, the granddaughter of

Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, directs this intriguing film, which is a remarkable exercise in restraint. The title comes from the words that adorned the Aids Memorial Quilt of

Roy Cohn, the headlinegrabbing lawyer to crime lords and politicians who helped send the Rosenbergs to the electric chair in New York in 1953 on charges of treason. Variously described as “a pig”, “evil” and “one of the worst human beings who ever lived”, Cohn defies easy categorisation. A dead-eyed man whose driving force in life was apparently victory at all

costs, he remains continually out of focus.

From investigative reporter Wayne Barrette, we learn of his hefty involvement with Donald Trump; we hear from playwright Tony Kushner about why he made him the central force in the award-winning Angels in America; and get an account of his hedonistic lifestyle in the seaside resort of Provincetown, Massachusetts from a disdainful John Waters. Running parallel is the tragic tale of the Rosenbergs, as Meeropol talks to her father, Michael, about his long fight for justice. The result is a documentary that grips from the start. Sarah Hughes

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